The authorities are losing control over prices

The President of the Chamber of Commerce of Thessaloniki P. Philippidis called what is happening as “the worst crisis in the history of Greece.”

Despite the fact that the country is going through the biggest economic crisis in history, the people of Greece are desperate about the rise in prices and price levels, and the merchants are suffering from a total lack of buyers, the pro-government media (from websites to television) present the situation as… idyllic.

In the pro-government media, the people of Greece are artfully portrayed as happy citizens with full pockets who “traveled” all over Greece, visiting charming places and not caring about tomorrow at all.

Of course, they briefly recall that the number of people leaving for the holidays (in three days) was the smallest in recent years, since only 150,000 cars left Athens, while in pre-Covid times there were no less than 400,000. Anyone who went into the city in Saturday evening, saw that all the residents remained in the city. For example: in Kolonaki, in the center of Athens, no one could get to the square due to traffic jams.

Across the list of goods, prices have risen by at least 30% since last year, while after the decrease in fuel prices they should have come down, but this did not happen. Primary production collapsed. An economy without primary production is a virtual economy. Unfortunately, the Greek economy has suffered a real catastrophe in the last ten years in the primary production sector, and in the last four years of the reign of K. Mitsotakis there was a real free fall in all production indicators. But we will not see this in official statistics. On the contrary, we will be told about unprecedented economic growth from every iron.

It is clear that many indicators are related to the government’s disastrous decisions on total lockdown during the pandemic, and now we are, in fact, reaping the consequences of these unwise decisions. Numbers ELSTAT speak for themselves, showing the decline in agricultural production over the past ten years:

• The number of agricultural holdings decreased by 22%.
• 20% – the number of livestock.
• Beekeeping decreased by 17%.
• The most significant decline was observed in the production of grapes and, accordingly, wine – 41%.

The above figures show that Greece is turning into a country completely dependent on imports, from which only importers and supermarkets, traditional supporters of ND governments, benefit. The losers are consumers, the citizens of Greece and the national economy, which, in fact, has lost its main support.

Recall to the young who do not know that in the 1950s, the then government of Konstantinos Karamanlis developed a national plan to make Greece self-sufficient in terms of cereals and rice, which was achieved in just six years, while barren rural areas were transformed into rich regions through citrus production such as Argos, Laconia and Arta.

All this was gradually destroyed in the last decade and especially after 2019, since it was the government of K. Mitsotakis. Producers were required to sell oranges for 8 to 16 cents per kilogram and a liter of orange juice for 3 to 15 cents per litre. On the contrary, in supermarkets and vegetable shops, oranges are sold from 0.70 to 1 euro per kilogram, and a liter of juice in a package is sold for at least 1 euro. But all this is put into a distorting lens that says how happy the Greeks are, as the pro-government media “confirmed”, “informed”.

Let’s also remember the prices for some products in drachmas, because the population was promised that after entering the eurozone, the inhabitants of the country would receive stable prices and no inflation…

In 2002, when the country joined the Eurozone, prices rose by 100 to 150% compared to 2000. From 2002 to 2023, we are talking about an increase in prices of the order of … 20 times.

But let’s see what the competent authorities, such as the president of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce, Pantelis Philippidis, have to say about this. “After so many years in the market, I have never experienced such a crisis before,” Mr. Philippidis told ThessToday.gr, while noting that the winter sales not only did not give shopkeepers a break, but, on the contrary, put some of them to the brink of bankruptcy. “I don’t think the discounts helped, the market picture continues to be tragic. People do not have money, and therefore they do not buy clothes, first of all, people buy food, and everything else – from the residual funds. The market of the city is not only Tzimiski. Small businesses can’t keep up,” said Mr. Philippides, adding that at the same time, store owners are struggling to keep their business going, reaching discounts of up to 80%. “You understand that these people cannot be saved when their expenses far exceed their income. As we go, only chain stores will work,” he added.

So far, according to the president of ESTH: “The turnover of stores is now at a lower level than in 2019 and comparable to the period of the pandemic in 2021, and therefore I am pessimistic. Problems and debts have accumulated now, and it is very difficult for me to recover them. Already for many months we are just trying to survive, like the whole of Greek society.”

Traders do not hide their disappointment with the movement observed in the market recently, and believe that it turned out to be much lower than expected. “These people expected to earn a little more money from discounts so that they, too, could meet their obligations, but now it is clear that we alone cannot change this situation,” he emphasizes.

And as the winter season draws to a close, Mr. Philippides emphasizes that in the next period, the number of bankrupt businesses will increase, and some store owners will continue their efforts, hoping again for the summer. “Shops close every day. But imagine if we fail even then. I don’t know what will happen until autumn, this year is especially worrying. We definitely need support from the government, unfortunately there is no other solution,” concluded He.

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